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Shawn Rumbaugh wants some pointers on training on rollers, the does, and don’ts. We give him and anyone else contemplating home training some help with how you should go about it and warn about the boredom and the heat. Image credit (the Vegan Cyclist)
Question:
Could you please tell me what the dos and don’ts are for first time roller user. Winter is around the corner and I am planning to do some indoor riding. If it is easier to pass along a source on the subject that would also be great. Thanks in advance.
Answer:
Hi Shawn,
Yea best thing is not to fall off!
Do you intend to ride on unsupported rollers or a set of turbo trainers?
Rollers:
Rollers tend not to have any resistance, which is great for keeping supple but will not give you any more power. They also help with your balance, and this is where accidents can happen as you get tired you can fall off them, so be careful!
With all home training, boredom is the worst problem. The best thing to do is to either have music or a favorite cycling video to watch. Although the best reliever of the boredom is to train hard and the best way is with interval training.
Interval training:
Interval training can be done very scientifically with a pulse monitor or/and a power meter. You can get up to your required pulse and ride to your max pulse and rest for the correct length of time also. All interval training follows the same principles if you are on the road, track, mountain bike, or trainer.
We have covered interval training before, and it’s the best way to get fit and to make the time pass quicker.
I would not ride on rollers or a home train for longer than an hour, and you need to work up to that length of time, start with 15 minutes, and then extend the ride by 5 minutes more each ride until you are up to the hour.
Start with a steady warm-up, then ride, bringing your pulse up to a point where you are starting to breathe a little heavily, keep this up until you have done your ride, then have a cooldown. Steady rides are the best way to get used to indoor training. After a couple of weeks, you can start the interval training, split the intervals into short sprints and longer intervals; in other words: aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Remember, if you are indoors, then you need to use an electric fan, and even if you are in a cold garage or open cover, you still need the ventilation of moving air.
